


Hide every trace of sadness

by sableflynn



Category: Original Work
Genre: Bad Things Happen Bingo, Beating, Broken Bones, Forced To Hurt Friend, Gen, Guns, Mind Control, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-19 13:40:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22211827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sableflynn/pseuds/sableflynn
Summary: Darya and Kailo are in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Volkan has some new magical techniques he wants to test out.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7
Collections: Bad Things Happen Bingo





	Hide every trace of sadness

**Author's Note:**

> Written for "mind control" prompt for Bad Things Happen Bingo.

Darya flexed her wrists against the ropes holding her to the wall. They were tight, but her legs were unbound, giving her some range of movement. She kicked against the wall, pulling at different angles, probing for a weak point in the ropes. Kailo was tied against the wall next to her; she could see him in the corner of her eye, methodically tugging against the ropes in an attempt to loosen them.

“Is he planning on leaving us to die of boredom?” She bit out as yet another attempt to escape the ropes proved fruitless. Volkan had tied the two of them up in this bare room—high ceilings, stone floor, one window showing the midnight sky—then left abruptly, muttering about “finishing touches” to something. It could’ve been several hours ago; it could’ve been thirty minutes. But the strain of her muscles from being tied in this position, the lack of any sort of clue as to where they were, the complete _uncertainty_ of it all had her nerves on end. Part of her just wanted him to come back and get on with whatever he had planned. 

Yet when the door swung open and Volkan stepped in, a bag slung over one shoulder, Darya felt a small thrill of fear in her stomach. He laughed at the sight of them trying to escape their bonds. “Do you really think I don’t know how to tie a knot?” Strolling closer, he stopped just beyond the range of Darya’s kicks. _Pity._

She continued working against the ropes, refusing to let her growing unease show on her face. Risking a quick glance over at Kailo, she saw he had gone still next to her. His eyes were already wide with fear. _Not good. Volkan is gonna love toying with that fear._ She needed to keep the attention off Kailo and on her as long as possible. “I wondered when you were gonna show your face,” she spat out. 

Grinning broadly, Volkan moved closer to her, stepping out of the way of her kicking legs. “I’m actually _so glad_ you both turned up here today,” he said, crowding into her. She strained to back away from him, but the ropes held her tight. “I just finished working on something new, and I’ve been dying to try it on someone _just like you_ , Darya.” His hand stroked her cheek with mock affection.

She shuddered, jerked away, spat at his hand, aimed a kick at his legs. “You can take whatever you’re _working on_ and shove it—” 

“Oh, but that’s exactly what I mean!” He cut her off with a hand in her hair, violently jerking her head back. “You’re so spirited, so... _defiant_. If it can hold _you_ , then I’ll _know_ it worked.” Abruptly, he released her and stepped back, digging into his bag.

 _Shit. That does_ not _sound good._ She had to keep him talking long enough for them to find a way out of this. Next to her, Kailo had begun working against the ropes again. She left him to it and began talking again, hoping to keep Volkan distracted. “S-so what’s this new exciting thing you’re working on?” Fuck, she was already letting that tremor into her voice. 

“Magical research, you know, I’m sure the details would bore you—ah, here it is.” From the bag, he withdrew a smooth stone, dark with glowing veins of blue running through it like liquid fire. Darya squinted at it, puzzling out the patterns, but they seemed to shift whenever she tried to focus on them. Even she could feel the magic humming off of it, but she had no clue what it was.

Next to her, Kailo was panicking, struggling against the ropes. “W-what is that? What are you going to do to her?!” 

“Like I said.” Volkan flashed a grin in Kailo’s direction, turning the stone over in his hands. “Magic research.” He was slowly advancing on Darya, and she could feel the energy growing around him, something she didn’t understand and had no way of countering. 

She forced herself to lift her chin and look him in the eye. “I don’t care what sort of magic b-bullshit you pull.” _Shit_ , her voice was breaking again. “I can take whatever it is. _Fucker_.” She just needed to buy Kailo some time to break out of the ropes; he was the one who understood magic, far more than she did.

But the energy around Volkan was growing stronger, a buzz that made her hair stand on end, and if she squinted she thought she could see smoky light swirling around him, pouring out of the rock, and then suddenly—

His hands were around her throat, choking her, but more than that she could feel his fingers in her _mind_ , like they were tearing apart her very thoughts. She shut her eyes, writhing against the onslaught, but there was no way to fight against the tendrils creeping their way inside her very _being_. Even through shut eyes the light was almost blinding, and she could feel strands of pure magical energy wrapping around her throat, strangling her, cutting her off from _herself_ , and she thought she might die—

All at once, it ended. Her head was buzzing and she could feel the pulse of magic around her throat like a second heartbeat. It didn't hurt; it was almost pleasant, a warm hum circling her neck. She didn't trust it one bit. 

Volkan stepped back and watched her with bright, curious eyes. "How do you feel?" 

"I feel…" A deep breath, an experimental cough. "...fine." As she said it, she realized it was true. She was a touch dizzy, sure, but nothing hurt and nothing was on fire. "Whatever you tried didn't work!" Volkan was still watching her in silence, a hint of amusement in his expression. She ignored it. "I don’t know what bullshit _magical research_ you were working on, but it looks like we’re gonna have to—" 

"Darya, stop talking." 

Darya's voice cut off mid-word and her mouth fell shut. She couldn't talk, couldn't even hiss or growl. She _tried_ , she tried so hard to say one word, but there was an uncrossable chasm between her thoughts and the actions of her body. Her mouth didn't even move.

" _No,_ " Kailo whispered. 

"Oh, _yes_." Volkan was grinning broadly now. Panic welled up in Darya and she flung herself against the ropes, her face a silent snarl as she fought against this...this _invasion_ of her mind. Volkan stepped closer and she lashed out at him, baring her teeth. His voice rang out, echoing in her head. “Stop struggling.” She hung limp from the ropes. “And wipe that scowl off your face. Smile for me.” The corners of her mouth turned up in a vacant smile.

_What did he do to me?_

Volkan cut the ropes from her wrists and she fell bonelessly to the ground. _He told me to stop struggling. Now I can’t even move._ The magic at her throat thrummed. A boot nudged at her, rolling her onto her back. “Oh, get up,” Volkan said, walking to stand near Kailo against the wall. She was on her feet in an instant.

“Walk across the room, Darya.” Her feet moved against her will, shuffling across the floor. _This isn’t me._ “Clap twice.” The claps echoed off the high ceilings and bare walls. _Why can’t I fight this?_ “Jump.” Her knees bent and she jumped. _How am I even supposed to fight this?_ Each command was a knife directly through her mind and into her body, and there wasn’t a fucking thing she could do to stop it.

Volkan was laughing. “This is so much more fun than I expected. Come back here, Darya.” Her heart was hammering as her feet carried her back over to him. He studied her for a minute, lips curving into a smile that mirrored the one plastered on her own face. “Wow. You’re really just completely helpless, aren’t you?”

“ _No._ ” The anguish in Kailo’s voice broke her heart. “Listen, y-you got what you wanted. You tried it, it works, _please_ , just take it off her, please, I’ll do anything, just take it off, let her go—” He was falling apart, and she needed to tell him that she was fine and they would find a way out of this, but her mouth was still locked in that _fucking_ smile. And even if she could talk...she wasn’t sure they _would_ find a way out. She had never been so completely... _fuck_ , Volkan was right, she was helpless. 

“We’re not even close to being done,” Volkan said, and Darya felt a chill at the sudden dark edge to his voice. “Let’s see how far we can take this. Give me your hand.”

She held her hand out and he took it in his own, turning it over, rubbing his thumbs down each finger. _This isn’t my hand,_ she thought distantly. _It can’t be my hand, or it would be punching his_ fucking _face in right now._ The magic at her throat hummed.

Volkan’s fingers began pressing on the little finger, light but firm pressure. A quick grin at Kailo, as if sharing a secret joke, and then he turned his gaze back on Darya. “I’m going to break your finger.” _Fuck fuck no, just step back, just move your fucking hand away!_ But she couldn’t, it wasn’t her hand. Volkan pressed down harder. “Don’t scream or flinch away or move at _all_.” He began to bend the finger back more and more, his eyes on hers with a hungry fascination. The pressure turned to a growing pain and then, with a _snap_ , a sharp shot of agony. 

Darya didn't scream, or pull away, didn't even so much as gasp as the bone broke. Volkan whistled low. "Would you look at that," he said, and so her gaze drifted down to the mangled finger, bent back at an unnatural angle. _That's not my hand._ It couldn't be, even as she could feel the pain pulsing from it in time with her heart, because if it was her hand she would be able to _move_ it. 

“Please stop,” Kailo said, his voice hitching in a sob. “Stop hurting her, you _bastard!_ ” She was frozen in place, eyes fixed on the hand. She could feel her mind drifting, untethered by any connection to the physical body.

Abruptly, Volkan dropped the hand he was holding, putting both his palms up in an insincere conciliatory gesture. “Ok, ok, I’m not going to hurt her anymore.” He watched her with a wolfish smile. “Darya, take your hand and break the next finger yourself.” 

Her mind hadn’t even fully processed the command before her body started moving. One hand moving quickly to take the other, wrapping around a finger, like she was witnessing a play she had no part in. _Not my hand, not my hand,_ she thought, as if that would take away the pain as the finger snapped. A bright flash of pain, and then a pulsing ache from the two fingers. 

Volkan laughed, snarling a hand in her hair and wrenching her head back to look into her eyes, at her empty smile. “Wow, you’re just really fucking _gone_ , aren’t you?” She blinked slowly. _Maybe I am really gone._

“She’s _not_ ,” Kailo sobbed. “She’s still—Darya, I know you’re still in there! W-we’re gonna find a way out of this, I promise!” The magic at her neck pulsed, and she felt herself slipping a bit further away.

“You really do believe that, don’t you,” Volkan murmured. He cupped Darya’s cheek with one hand, then slapped her. Her head jerked, but she barely felt it. With no way to control this body she was in, her mind was floating further and further, and she was watching everything around her through a fog. Until Volkan’s next words slammed her back into reality.

“Punch Kailo in the face.” 

_No. No no no_ —the reality of her situation slammed into her, even as a fist was already curling. _I need to fight this, I need to_ —the fist collided with Kailo’s cheek, weak, a trembling hit that startled him more than anything else. His eyes widened and he said, “It’s okay, Darya. I know.” The words broke her heart and strengthened her resolve. _I can’t do this to him._

Volkan _tsk_ ed. “I’ve seen you fight. I _know_ you can hit harder than that.” He paused, as if considering his next words carefully. “Darya. Punch him in the face as hard as you can. Hold nothing back.”

The fist struck out like a viper, snapping across Kailo’s nose. He cried out as blood began to drip down his face. “I-it’s okay, Darya!” _No, it’s not._ “I know this isn’t you!” _But I can’t stop it!_

Volkan grinned broadly. “Oh, this is _amazing_ , I’m so glad I didn’t just kill you two. Do it again, Darya.” The fist cracked Kailo in the jaw. “Again.” Kailo cringed away, but couldn’t go anywhere with the ropes holding him in place. “Again.” Her mind was reeling as she renewed her mental struggles, screaming out for anything that would stop this from happening. Volkan continued to give the command, and Darya continued to obey. Kailo was sobbing, begging, “Please, please,” and she didn’t know if he was begging her or Volkan. She blinked, and felt a tear roll down her cheek, past her smiling lips. 

When Volkan finally paused, Kailo hung limp from the ropes, his face a mass of blood and newly-forming bruises. _I did that. Because I was too fucking_ weak _to stop it._ Kailo gazed up at her, his eyes searching hers for a sign, _anything_ , that she was still there, and she could give him nothing. 

Volkan ruffled her hair like a proud parent. “Fuck, Darya, you are really incredible. With you under my control…” He hummed in pleasure. “There’s just one last thing I need you to do for me.” She felt the press of something cold and metallic. Looked down to see a gun being placed into hands that weren’t hers, hands covered with Kailo’s blood.

“Tell Kailo you love him,” Volkan said, “and then shoot him in the head.”

Darya’s mind fractured. _I can’t. I can’t. Don’t make me do this._ Shaking hands were already lifting the gun to aim at Kailo. He was gasping for air, sobbing. “Please, please no, Darya, please, _don’t make her do this_ —” Darya’s mind was screaming, tearing itself apart, desperately trying to grab some part of her to hold back, and the trembling gun was pressing against Kailo’s forehead. 

A finger started to wrap around the trigger, and she looked into Kailo’s eyes. They were wide and wet with tears, and she could see herself reflected in them. The strands of magic wrapping her throat, and her face still locked in that _stupid fucking smile_. 

Something inside her mind _clicked_. Her smile fell.

“I love you, Kailo,” she said, and she turned and shot Volkan in the face.

The shot threw Volkan back, and Darya immediately dropped the gun as if it were white hot. For a heartbeat she stared at the mess of blood and gore, struggling to control her breathing. She looked down at her hands—her hands, _hers_ —she flexed her fingers a few times and pain shot through but that was ok because it was _her_ pain in _her_ hands, _they’re mine, he won’t use them anymore._

She undid the ropes tying Kailo to the wall, hands shaking so much she almost couldn’t manage the knots. He fell to his knees on the ground, curling into himself, and Darya crouched next to him, her hands hovering over his shoulders. _Would he even want me to touch him right now? After what I just did to him…_

“Darya…” Kailo’s voice was a whisper. “You saved us.”

He threw himself into her arms, clinging to her like he was afraid to let go. That broke her. Sobs wracked her body, her arms wrapping around him, her tear-wet face burrowing into his shoulder. “Kailo, I’m so sorry, oh my god, I thought—I thought I—” She swallowed her tears, forcing herself to say it. “I thought I was going to kill you.” She trembled. “I...god, I’ve never been so scared, I—”

“But you didn’t, Darya!” He pulled his face back and looked into her eyes, and his were wet with tears but there was also _hope_ there, and _trust_. “You...you beat it. I don’t know how, but...look.” He guided one of her hands to her neck, and she realized the humming magic that had surrounded her throat was gone. _Did I do that?_

Kailo smiled weakly. “And you...killed him.” She felt a chill run through her at that. _He can’t really be…_ her gaze drifted towards the ruin of Volkan’s face, the blood pooling around his body, then snapped back up to Kailo. Kailo, whose face was bloody and bruised, yet he was still comforting _her_. “God, Kailo, I hurt you so bad, I—fuck, I’m so sorry, we need to find Felicia, I—I can’t believe I hurt you like that—”

“ _Darya._ ” His voice was still gentle, but she could hear the fire behind it as well. “ _That wasn’t you._ You weren’t the one who hurt me. But you were the one who saved me.” 

She shut her eyes, and a stream of tears ran down her cheeks. “I…” She could still see her fist lashing out at him, feel it cracking against his face, but then she opened her eyes and he was there, smiling at her. “We saved each other,” she whispered. “I...I broke out of it because I just _knew_ I wasn’t going to kill you. I—I wasn’t going to let _him_ kill you.” 

He pulled her close again, and for a moment they knelt on the floor together, wrapped in each others’ arms. Finally, Darya managed to get her shaking under control. She spared a glance at Volkan’s body. “This is...gonna be a mess.” She managed a weak laugh. “We need to get out of here before someone finds him and this whole place blows up.”

Kailo nodded. “Let’s get out of here.” He stood, holding out a hand to help her up. She lifted her own hand and just _looked_ at it for a moment ( _my hand, it’s mine_ ), then placed it in his and rose to her feet. Together, they walked out the door and left the night behind. 


End file.
